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J. LOWE AND J. J. LYTH. METHOD or 'AND APPARATUS Fon STRMGHTENTNG wEFT THREADS.

T APPLICATION .FILED AUG. 6, ISIS. Reissued Nov. 9, 1920.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG-6,1919. Reissued Nov. 9, 1920.

j UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN LOWE AND JOHN JAMES LYTH, `or vALnEYErELn,` QUEBEC,l CANADA. c

` METHOD OEAND APPARATUS FOR' STRAIGHTENING WEET-THREADS.

original No, 1,222376, dated To all whom t may concern y Be 1t known that we, JOHN JOHN JAnrEs LYTH, both ksubjects'of the King of Great Britain, and residents of the city of Valleyfield, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have in-v vented Vcertain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Straightening Veft-Threads, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact descripf tion.

. ure of success.

Thisl invention relates toy improvements 1n method of and apparatus for straight- `ening the weft threads ofA woven fabrics,

and the object of the invention is to provide means-for bringing the two `ends of each thread into a line extending across the cloth at right angles to the selvages.

Vhen the fabric leaves the loom, the Warp and weft threads are exactly at right angles to one another andthe effect is very pleasing. After vvthe cloth `has been sub. `ected to `various processes and is vabout to e rolled for shipment, it is found that the.

line between the' edges ofthe cloth. vIf, however, the cloth` goes into the stretching.

or tentering machine Withthe ends of the weft threads atone edge of thecloth in.` ad-l vance of the ends at the opposite'edge,l it is obvious that the machine can vonly straighten the weft threads but cannot ref `store them to the lproper angular relation with the warp threads, so that in the iin`` ished cloth the weft threads lie in ad1ag-` onal direction, producing unsatisfactory and unsightly cloth. Various methods andl apparatus have been tried out to overcome this difliculty, but without any great measj' j It is obvious that to prog.,

` duce the desired result7 onev edge of the cloth must abe. advanced more than f the other, and this advancement must be purely local in Order that` properly disposed LOWE and' Specification of Reissued Letters Patent. Reissued 9', 92() v April 17, 1917, serial No. saeeog'iued March 21, 1916. 'Appiicationnfor ife-` issueled August 6, 1919. Serial No. 315,775.

threads in adjoining portions of the fabric shall not be displaced.

7e have discovered that `passing the cloth over a series of rolls 'adjustably mounted so that they may be formed.

roughly into a cone or pyramid, the edge of the cloth at the base of the pyramid will be advanced through a longer vpath than that toward the apex, or in other words, the edge of the cloth atthe'base of the cone l will be vadvanced ina longer pathlthan thek center, and the opposite edge of the cloth will be advanced in avshorter path than the center. By adjusting the angular relation ofthe rollers, the relative advance of the edges of the cloth may be regulated to a nicety to 4correct' the displacement of the threads. This structure is capable of such adjustment that'the base of the imaginary cone may be shifted from `side to side of the machine as required.

In; the drawings which-illustrate the inven.tion:- I i Figurel isa side elevation-of the device` partly broken away.

F ig. 2. is a lfront elevation.

.Fig 3 is an isometric perspectiveview y vof one Of the roll supporting. members.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a vpair of frame members, which may conveniently be uprights secur'able between the vfloor and ceiling of a room. Adjacent faces of these framemembers are provided with'guides 12 in which isrnounted a suitably heavy slide 1,3 ext-end ing across the machine from frame to frame. This slide carrles a roll 14.y For convenience manufacture, the slide may be com.-A posed of end castings 15 cOnnected'by-.a suitableV web 16, such as boiler plate. The slide is of considerable weightand its bearing surfaces are extendedto such a degree that there is no .possibility Of it jamming Or,-

binding 'in the guides 12. In the upper part of the machine, an arm 17. is mounted on each frame, and projectsto front `and back of the machine. .Idlerrolls 18 and 19 are mountedv between thesearms. The active rolls,v or those which are adjusted to form the imaginary cone previously referred to, are designated 20, 2Oa and 20" and in the drawin `areshown to be three in number. It will e understood that any suitable number of rolls may be used. These rolls are roo mounted bearings2l which slide between guides 22 having-.slots 23 therein, throughvv whichtrunnions 24l of. the bearingsv pass.l

IThe guides 22v are connected together g by central cores 25 Vrigidly attachedto one on each frame'memberv 11. These cores alsoform bearings' for a 'shaft 26, which is threaded at each end, the threads preferably being both of thesame direction and pitch. 'A nutV 27 is mounted on each threaded portionof the-shaft 26, and is connected by a pair of links 28 with the trunnions v,of each roll bearing. If desired, a bar or rod29 may be provided parallel with the shaft 26 having slidable engagement with the nuts, andv 'arranged to hold the same against revolution, thus relieving the links 28 of this func-v tion and of stress incident thereto. .It will be readily understood thatwhen the shaft is rotatedjthe nuts; being held'against revof-A lution, will be causedV to travel longitudinally on the shaft. The connection between the nuts and the roll bearings transmits this movement to the bearings, so that; the same shift in the guides toward or awayfrom the shaft, according to the direction of shaft revolution. The threads being of; the same direction, it is obvious that the nuts will travel in the same direction, that is, one toward and one away from `the end of the L shaft, so that the toggles formed by the links will force the 'roll bearings away from the shaftat one end and draw them toward the 'l shaft -at the opposite end.` The result is that the rolls mounted'betwe'enl the bear-V 1ngs at opposite ends ofthe machine are' brought to 'the form of an im'aginarycone- If thel direction of shaft revolution is reversed, the rolls are restored to parallel condition, fand if the movement is continued, the rolls again assume thev conical'arrangement, with the difference that the base of the cone is at chine.

In `order that the cloth may be passed over the greatest possiblesurface of the rolls 20, 2Oa and 2()b it hasfbeen found desirable, to'provide idler rolls 30 and 30 between the 5 straightening rolls 20 and 205; 30ahetween 20 and'20a; andy 30b between 20 and 20". These rolls for the arrangement lshown in. the drawings are fourV in number,` and mounted ineachend inbearing platesv 31,

which may be securedv `between the core block 25 and the frames 11. In order to keep. incoming y cloth outv of contact with the straighteningV` rolls, an idler roll 32'may `be provided. The rolls 30 vmaybe mounted so asto maintain. parallel relation with one another, Vbut if desired they maybel arranged in la manner similar to the rolls 20. If-the movement of therolls 30 is in the same di-v rection as'the rolls 20, the eifectiveness Vof the machine lis diminished, while'if'the rolls 30 operate in the opposite direction to the through the machine.

the kopposite side of the man rol-1s 20, theflefectiveness may bei increased. It is., however, preferred at thistnne to have the rolls.. maintain parallel relation. A

l' hand wheelH33-may be provided to `operate the shaft 26, which'is lheld against longitu- V dinal .movement by collars 34. The* cloth `passing through the machine is designated The operationv of the machine is quite simple,l but has been found to he remarkably 4eiiicientand successful. The cloth comes to the machine over thel idlers 18 and 32,'and 1 then passes underthe roll 14, over the .idler 30 and around the straightening roll 20, over the idler 30a, around the straightening roll 20, over the'idler 30", around the straightening roll 20h, andV over the idler 30c to the idler 19. It will be readily seen that there i's a loop of cloth between the rolls 30 and 32, in whichvthe roll 14 hangsor floats. This roll14`which is loaded by the weight vthe mounting of the rolls 30 rigid," so that of the slide 13 ,maintains` proper tensionv 1n f 4the cloth, and provides a spring in the cloth 'y which will compensate for any lack of uniformity in the speed of cloth movement The arrangement of the. idler rolls f. 30 "with respect` tog-the vstraightening rolls 20 insures a large surface of contactv between the cloth and the straightening rolls, so that the positioning ofc-these straightening rolls has the maxi. i

v mum efect onthe cloth. Thev arrangement also `retainsa 4considerable amountof clothinthe machine,v so that variations inl the speed of movement between vthe two edges f are distributed f throughv a considerable v length of cloth, and do not affect the cloth) in machines on either side. In practice, the e straightening machine is preferably placed between ja Washing or starching machine andiaftentering machine, so that the cloth is in moist condition, and may be much more readily operated. uponthan if in ydry condir`tion.

The operator tending the `machine watches the clothentering. andv leaving the machine.

ator lsees af portion of the cloth comingfto the As the cloth isv stretched tight f between the rolls 18 and 32, and between the" rolls, l30 and 19, theprovision-of a light betweenj'the twovi layers of Vcloth will render such' inspection very easy, When the opermachine with the weft threads extending Y where the advanced ends of the weft threads enter. This adjustment of the machine creates a shorter path for'pthat edge nofthe cloth where lthe .weft'thread's are alreadyvv dragged back, 4and at the opposite sideof the i machine, creates a lengthened -path for the advanced sufficiently to emerge simultane' ously with the ends 4which were' advanced.

"ny ordinary operator will adjust the ma-` chine from time to time, according to the variation in positionV of the weft threads, so that when emerging, the ends of each thread are substantially in a line drawn at righta'ngles to the edges ofthe cloth. The intel'- mediate portion of the weft threads is of no consequence in this invention nor is it claimed that the weft threads-are completely straightened, as this `work is performed `by any tentering machine, which pulls kor stretches the cloth in a transverse -direction.

Itv frequently happens that vwhen the threads of a piece of cloth are badly-disarranged, application of the present invention does very little morev than bring the two ends into proper line. This is, however, quite suflicient `as the Htentering -machine will by its transverse stretching bring the threads straight. If the advanced ends of the weft threads subsequently occur on the opposite edge of the cloth,-the rotation of the shaft is reversed until the stretching cone is also reversed, that is, the small end is expanded and the large end is contracted. In the adjustment of the machine, particularly when sudden and considerable changes are made in the angular relation of the stretching rolls, it will happen that there is frequently a slight acceleration of the speed of travel of the Whole cloth through the machine. Ordinarily, this would act as a drag on the machine behind and form a slack between the straightening machine 'and the machine next in line. Such a contingency is, how ever, completely overcome by the use of the floating roll 14, which merely rises on such occa-sions, and when the speed and tension is avain restored to normal fallsto a roXie a l mately its original position.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. A method of straightening the weft threads of cloth, which consists in accelerating the advance of one edge of the cloth with respect to an intermediate portion and retarding the advance of the opposite edge with respect to an intermediate portion, and in maintaining a variable sized surplus of cloth under uniform tension.

l Infadeviceof the character described, afpluralityof rolls, and means forsimul- .taneously drawing together adjacent ends of said rolls and separat-ing the opposite adjacent ends of said rolls, the angular movement of all rolls being equal. 3'. In a device `of the character described, a plurality of rolls, toggle mechanism connectingfsaid rolls at their ends, and means for simultaneously operating said toggle mechanism to draw .the rolls together at one end, and force the rollsapart at the opposite end, the angularmovement of all rolls ,being equal.

4. In a device of the character described, a plurality .of rolls, and means for simultaneously adjusting the ralternate .rolls relatively `in opposite directions at opposite ends. l

` 5. In a. device of the character described, a Iplurality of adjustable rolls, a plurality of non-adj ustable 4rolls arranged alternately with 4the adjustable rolls, and means for simultaneously.moving opposite endsof the adjustable yrolls .to different positions relatively to the non-adjustable rolls.

f6. In a Idevice of thecharacter described, a plurality of rolls adjustable toward and away .from lone Aanother simultaneously at opposite ends, a plurality of non-adjustable rolls arranged alternately with theladjustable rolls, an idler roll, a :floating roll arranged tol vbe supportedA by material passing between the idler and adjustablerolls, and means for holding said roll against inclination by material supporting same.,

7. In a device of the character described, slotted guides, bearings slidable between said guides, trunnions onl said bearings operating the guide slots, rolls mounted in said bearings, a threaded shaft, nuts irrevolubly mounted on said shaft, and links pivotally connecting said nuts and bearing trunnions. S. A method of straighteningthe weft threads of cloth which consists in locally advancing portions of one edge and simultaneously retarding corresponding portions of the opposite edge, alternatelywith advancingthe same portion uniformly across its entire width.

9. A method of straightening the weft threads .of-cloth, which consists in locally the edges of the cloth, and'alternating with such advancement periods of advancement uniform across the entire Width of the cloth.

v11. A method of straightening diagonally displaced weft threads of cloth, which consists in advancing the cloth at uniform rate across its entire width alternately with a differential rate of advancementl across its width, said differential rate of'vadvancementA being greater than. the uniform rate at one edge and less thanv the uniform rate at the opposite edge, and vof the uniform rate at a line intermediate the edges.

12. A method of straightening the weft threads of cloth which consists in advancing a portion of the cloth intermediate the edges at a uniform rate of speed, and increasing or diminishing the rate of advance from said intermediate portion toward the edges and alternating the increase and reduction of advance rate from edge to edge of the cloth, according as the ends ofthe weft threads are more advanced at one edge or otherv of the cloth.

13. A method of straightening the weft threads of cloth, which consists in advancing a portion of the cloth intermediate the edges at a uniform rate of speed, and increasing or diminishing the rate of advance from said intermediate portion toward the edges, and alternating the increase and reduction of advance rate-from edge to edge of the cloth, accordingy as the ends of the weft threads are more advanced -at one edge orother of the cloth; and alternating with c such variable-advancement of. the cloth across its entirelwidth at the same rate as Said intermediate portion.

the axis thereof parallel with the axis of the remaining rolls.

15. A method disposed weft threads of cloth, which comprises passing lthe edge of the cloth containing the advanced ends of the threads through a longer path than that traveled by the medial line lof the cloth and passing the edge of the cloth containing the lagging ends of the threads through a shorter path than that traveled by the medial line of the cloth,

of straightening diagonally whereby the arrival of the advanced ends of the threads at a line at right angles to the medial line of the cloth is delayed and made coincident with the arrival of the lagging ends of the threads at said line.

16. A method according to claim 15, having the additional step of simultaneously varying the lengths of the paths of the cloth edges according to the amount of displacement of the threads. I

`In witness whereof, We have hereunto set our hands.

, JOHN LOWE.

`JOHN JAMES LYTH. 

